Trapped in Anxiety
by Kay Farron
Summary: Flight AU. Claire Farron suffers from agoraphobia and hasn't left the house in four years. What happens when she meets an interesting woman on the Internet, will she ever overcome her fears?


**A/N My First AU. had this idea in my head for some time now, So I decided to go for it and get it written down. I've had a lot of extra time to write lately due to my ailing health, I hate being ill, thank god for laptops or I would be climbing the walls. Thank you again to OerbayunFang for being my beta reader for this story. She is an absolute legend.**

Trapped in Anxiety

Claire Farron groaned, rolling onto her side as her hand frantically searched to cease the persistent buzzing of her morning alarm call. She had no idea why she continued to set it, it had become almost a reflex; every night before she went to bed she would set it for 6am. There was no reason for it: she had no particular place to go, no reason to wake as early as she did. It was habit, and nothing more.

Claire rolled over in bed, rubbing her eyes as she attempted to sit up.

She could hear a shower running from the other side of the house. Serah was up, which wasn't surprising; her sister rose almost as early as she did. Only difference was, she had a reason to.

Claire padded over to her wardrobe, pulling out a black tank top and a simple pair of blue jeans. She decided not to shower just yet, that could wait till later; she had all day after all. Morning times in the Farron household ran like a tightly oiled machine. It was a carefully practised routine that both Farron sisters had become accustomed to over the years, or four years to be exact.

Claire pulled the tank top over her head checking herself in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs and towards the kitchen. It was her job to make breakfast while her sister prepared for work. This was how it had been for years and today was no exception; Serah didn't expect her to make breakfast every morning and she certainly didn't demand it, but after four years of her sister basically supporting them both, Claire figured it was the least she could do.

Claire glanced out of the kitchen window as she continued to make breakfast. She hadn't forgotten what today was. How could she? The memories were never far from her mind, making it impossible for her to forget. She thought about it often, and not a night went by when she wasn't plagued with terrible nightmares. Today was the four-year anniversary of her parents' deaths and four years since Claire Farron had stepped so much as a foot outside her house.

It had all started the day after the funeral. She had been strong that day, attempting to hide her true emotions and stay strong for the sake of her sister. They were both so young, so unprepared for a tragedy of this magnitude. The funeral had been difficult for all involved; emotional eulogies and a roomful of devastated family members, friends and acquaintances. Claire hadn't cried that day, had not allowed herself to. She had buried her emotions, determined to simply make it through the day. Any crying could wait till later when she was alone; not in front of her sister.

When they had returned home that day, she had cried – for herself, for the fact that her parents would never see her grow to become a full adult, never see her achievements, never support her in her goals or console her when she failed; but most of all, she cried for Serah. She knew she had to be strong for her, be the responsible older sister. They would grieve but soon they would have to move on and Claire was determined to make sure her sister was always safe, protected, and that she would never have to worry.

Unfortunately things didn't work out that way, as the next day a series of events would occur that would lead to Claire's eventual diagnosis. Her sister referred to her as a shut in. The therapist's term had been agoraphobia.

As Claire continued to stare out of the kitchen window she drifted back to that fateful day. When she awoke the morning after the funeral she had immediately headed to her sister's room, finding her hunched in a ball, still sobbing. After spending most of the morning attempting to calm her down, she decided it was probably a good idea to attempt to get Serah to eat something. Unfortunately there was very little food in the house so it required a trip to the store. She had told her sister to wait in the living room, grabbing her coat and heading for the door.

It had begun with only one step. Suddenly she had felt herself consumed with emotions, they flooded her body with a power so overwhelming that it caused her to fall to her knees. She clutched her chest, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly she could barely breathe, barely think, her mind filled only with intense pain. Her vision blurred as the world around her started spinning. She felt as though she was dying, drowning in a sea of pain; pure raw emotion filled her body leaving her with an intense feeling of helplessness.

Before she knew what was happening she was being dragged back inside the house. She could barely see her sister's face nor hear her words, though she remembered them sounding frantic; a whirlwind of panic followed before her world went dark.

Claire had woken up a few hours later on the living room sofa, her sister by her side. This is how it started, and after three more attempts to leave the house with no avail, Serah had been forced to call a doctor. The psychiatrist they sent was nice, and after speaking to both Farron sisters, and running tests on Claire, she had diagnosed her with severe agoraphobia, most likely triggered by her parents' deaths.

Claire was dragged from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Serah taking her usual seat at the table. She poured a cup of coffee, placing it in front of her sister with a smile. She returned the smile, taking the offered coffee with a yawn.

"Good morning Claire, did you sleep well?" Serah asked.

Claire nodded, smiling at her sister. It was clear from her tone she was in a good mood this morning. Serah's moods could be somewhat of a hit and miss, particularly since Claire's diagnosis. When she was first diagnosed Serah hadn't known how to take it; for the first couple of weeks she had been somewhat harsh in her attempts to push Claire into leaving the house. After several failed and frightening attempts she had finally made her peace with the situation and endeavoured to leave the psychiatry to the professionals and simply offer support and advice wherever she could. Claire was surprised by her sister's cheerful mood, particularly considering what day it was. She hoped her sister had forgotten and decided not to remind her.

"What are your plans for today?"

Claire chuckled. Her sister asked this every morning, even though she knew the answer. Every day was pretty much the same; she would do the chores, the ironing, laundry and anything else that needed doing throughout the house and then attempt to fill her days with any mundane tasks she could find.

"You know, the usual," Claire replied. "Would you like anything in particular for dinner tonight?"

"You know whatever you cook will be fine," Serah said with a smile, jogging over to the coat rack. "I'll be home at the usual time."

Claire frowned. Her sister was leaving already? It was a lot earlier than usual, normally they would eat breakfast together and chat for a while first.

"Why are you leaving already?" Claire asked, following her sister to the front door. "You haven't even eaten breakfast yet."

Serah pulled on her coat, picking up her work bag from next to the door. "I'm sorry Claire, I have a lot of work to do today, I promise I'll eat something at the office."

Before Claire had a chance to reply, Serah was already halfway to the car. She stood at the doorway and watched as her sister waved goodbye before getting into the car and driving away. She dared not step over the perimeter.

Once again Claire was alone in the house, preparing herself for yet another day of attempting to fill her time with meaningless tasks and busy work. Over the years she had indulged in many hobbies; she had learned the piano, read almost every work of literature in the house and even tried her hand at painting, which she found she wasn't very good at and so lost interest quickly. But Claire's favorite hobby was practising martial arts. Her sister had paid for a gym to be built in the basement and regularly bought home books and instructional videos to help her sister learn the craft at home. Claire had already become a master in several forms of martial arts; she enjoyed the activity, yet still found herself unable to fill the endless hours of the day alone.

Being a shut-in had its advantages, not having to go out in the cold weather was one of them. Because it was a recognized medical condition she wasn't expected to work, which meant she wasn't obligated to socialize or indulge in small-talk with people she had no desire to speak to. But there were a lot of downsides, loneliness was the main drawback, until her sister returned from work Claire literally had no want to talk too. Most of the time it didn't bother her, but there were days when the endless hours of isolation would get to her, and today was one of these days. After everything she'd been through in the past four years, the last thing she wanted was any time to think or reflect today of all days. She needed to keep her mind busy, particularly since tomorrow marked another important event.

Her birthday.

**A/N I know not much has happened so far, but this is a multi-chapter story, so I just needed the first chapter to set the scene. Please don't forget to review they really help me alot XD**


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